Electronic – Will there be any voltage drop when connecting load to batteries

batteries

In my project I am planning on using 10 AAA Batteries(to give me 12v as each battery is 1.2v) to power my project. I am wondering if there will be any voltage drop when I connect a load. If so how can it be calculated? This is so that I can account for it.

Best Answer

Yes, the voltage will drop. A reasonable approximation would be the internal resistance of the cells and other resistances in the wires, switches, etc, times the current consumption.

On an unrelated note, using 10 AAA cells sounds like a bad idea; AAAs have very poor energy density (wasted space due to the casing, etc) compared to AAs. I would suggest using larger cells and a step-up regulator. On a related note, larger cells also have lower internal resistances.

Energizer Datasheets/Whitepapers: